A hot tub or spa is a pool of heated water typically sized to provide space for between one and ten people. Hot tubs and spas are often used for relaxation, various forms of therapy (including hydrotherapy and/or aromatherapy), pleasure, massage, training, and/or rehab (for example, in the case of a swim spa). Hot tubs and spas may be located either indoors or outdoors. Hot tubs are often used for social gatherings and/or for individual use. In addition, hot tubs are known to have a variety of health benefits. Hot tubs and spas can come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and styles and may include a variety of additional accessories from filters to lights to built-in audio. In many cases, external portions of the hot tub and/or the frame may be decorated.
Hot tubs use jets to deliver a combination of water and air to the pool of water contained within the hot tub shell. In many cases, the jets may be used for massage purposes as well as circulating the water. The jets also provide fresh, heated water to the hot tub shell after cycling the water through appropriate heating and filtering systems. A plumbing system separately transports water and/or air from respective sources to the jets which may be located in a variety of places throughout the hot tub shell. The hot tub shell is supported by a hot tub frame which may also serve to contain and protect the plumbing system, as well as providing a structure for applying a decorative exterior.
In known methods, air and water are delivered to a given jet by separate tubes and associated system components. A typical hot tub may have approximately 45 jets, though a large hot tub may have many more, potentially more than 100. This can result in a large number of separate tubes which must be installed by hand and contained between the hot tub frame and the hot tub shell. This is a highly complicated process with many steps and involves an extraordinary amount of labor. Accordingly, there is a need for hot tub plumbing systems that simplify the delivery of air and water to the jets, and reduce the labor involved in assembling the hot tub.